NCIS most impactful character exit
The gist
TVLine reports that actor Cote de Pablo's Ziva David exit affected NCIS more than any other departure.
The piece ties her 2013-era goodbye to the show's later narrative uncertainty.
How it unfolded
- recentlyTVLine publishes a piece arguing that the departure of Cote de Pablo's Ziva David perhaps most affected NCIS as a whole.
- Oct 14, 2026CBS officially confirms Timothy McGee's future, leading to him having to leave the show and agency; in the final moment of NCIS season 24, episode 2, "Clean Slate," Tony DiNozzo confirms McGee is being saved to become the eventual Secretary of the Navy.
- Oct 15, 2026At the end of "Clean Slate," Tony tells McGee that Marsh is grooming him to take over her job as SecNav, ending the episode on another major development.